Every Muslim should be aware of the existence of Shaytan. Satan is an arrogant Jinn, who stubbornly refused to bow to Adam (AS) when Allah commanded him to do so. Shaytan considered himself to be superior to Adam (AS), and this was the reason for his defiance. Moreover, Satan then conspired against Adam (AS) and Eve. He utilized his evil tricks of deception to convince them to disobey Allah and we see this in the story of Barsisa.
All believers need to know what Satan’s primary aim in the world is. Satan did not repent for his wrongdoing and beg for forgiveness. Instead, he devoted his existence to leading man astray. His goal is to make man disobey Allah and commit evil acts.
While one may think that he or she possesses strong faith and cannot be led astray by Satan, it is imperative not to underestimate the subtlety of Satan’s traps. One of the finest examples of how Satan can sneakily lead man down a path of destruction is the story of Barsisa.
This story shows us that Satan can lead even those who are pious astray, and he calls to sin in a cunning manner that lures his unsuspecting victims straight into his trap without them even realizing it.
The request of the three brothers
Barsisa was a pious man of the tribe of Israel. He devoted himself to the worship of God and was known in the land for his piety. Meanwhile, there were three brothers who had a sister and were about to head out for war. However, their sister was a virgin and did not have any other siblings besides them. Therefore, the brothers wondered who they could trust to take care of their sister. They agreed to leave their sister with the righteous Barsisa, as they trusted him.
The brothers went and asked Barsisa if they could leave their sister with him. She would live in the building near him until their return. He turned down their request and sought refuge in Allah. However, the brothers did not give up, and Satan made Barsisa develop concern for their sister, so he gave in. He told him to put their sister in the house near his place of worship, and they did so and departed.
Shaytan slowly entices Barsisa
Initially, Barsisa would leave food outside of his building of worship for the sister so that she could eat. He would place the food outside and then go back to the place of his worship, locking the door. After that, he would tell her to leave her house and pick up the food that was lying outside.
Shaytan came to Barsisa and started slowly corrupting his mind. His first step was to urge him to show kindness to the lady he was looking after. Satan planted concern for her safety in Barsisa’s mind. He convinced Barsisa that it was not right to make her leave her house in the day as someone may come across her while she took the food. Satan made Barsisa believe that placing the food outside her house would earn him a superior reward.
Barsisa listened to Shaytan and would leave the food outside the woman’s door without talking to her. Satan moved to the next step and told Barsisa that it would be more rewarding if he kept the food inside the house for her. Therefore, he started to place the food inside her residence.
Satan lures Barsisa into fornication
Satan continued to disguise his wicked plot, giving it a noble appearance. Barsisa continued to succumb to Satan’s evil plans without realizing that Satan was pushing him towards ruin. Shaytan told Barsisa that if he spoke to the woman for some time, it would reassure and comfort her because she was alone and scared. Thus, he began speaking to her from above his place of worship.
Satan then encouraged Barsisa to descend and speak to the sister while she sat at her door and talked, as it would be even more reassuring for her. So, eventually, Barsisa started speaking to her in this manner. The next major step Satan took was to convince Barsisa to sit near her door rather than his own. He complied and did so for some time.
Later, Shaytan said that it would be better to speak to her inside her house so that she would not have to display her face in public. Therefore, Barsisa talked to her inside her house for the whole day, returning home at night. Satan kept making the woman more attractive to Barsisa until he kissed her. It did not, however, stop there, for Shaytan kept up his evil plan, tempting him until he fornicated with her. Thus, she became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy.
Shaytan’s scheme ruins Barsisa’s life
Satan came to Barsisa and told him that the birth of a child as a result of his fornication posed a significant problem for him. Satan made him worry about what the woman’s brothers would do to him upon discovering the truth. He convinced Barsisa to kill the boy and bury him to hide his wrongdoing. After he committed this heinous crime, Shaytan persuaded him also to murder the woman and bury her with the son to protect his dirty secret.
Barsisa killed and buried the lady with her son in the ditch and placed a big rock over them. He went back to his worship until the brothers returned and asked him about their sister. Barsisa said that she had died and pointed out her grave to them. The brothers went to the grave, grieved, and asked Allah to have mercy on her.
After a few days at their sister’s grave, the brothers returned to their families. As they slept, Shaytan appeared in their sleep as a traveler and told them all the truth of what Barsisa had done to their sister, including where he had buried her and her son. After they awoke, they all discussed what they had witnessed and ended up discovering their sister and her son in the ditch just like Satan had told them.
When the brothers asked Barsisa, he confirmed the truth of the matter. The brothers proceeded to crucify Barsisa. When the brothers were about to take Barsisa’s life, Shaytan appeared and revealed to him that it had been Satan who had been tempting him all along. Satan said that if Barsisa obeyed him and rejected Allah, he would rescue him. Then, Barsisa obeyed Satan, thus becoming a disbeliever. However, Shaytan abandoned him, and Barsisa was crucified.
